It’s Getting Hot in Here
We’ve just been in a major heat wave over here, smashing records for a few days in a row! Outdoor activities and even beaching had to be done super early or late to avoid the hottest hours of the day, and of course most everyone was generally uncomfortable. Forgetting that we were all wishing for warmer weather only weeks ago!
I was out for an evening paddle with my neighbour and we were thanking our lucky stars that we both had air conditioning in the house. I agreed, of course, that this was a blessing, but said it still seemed really hot even with a bit of AC. We compared the temperatures we’d set our thermostats to and apparently I wasn’t really taking advantage of having AC. He exclaimed about how ridiculous that was and asked why on earth I would sit there uncomfortable when the fix was simply hitting the down arrow on the thermostat. My response: “Because, it’s summer and when it’s this hot you’re supposed to “suffer a bit”, that’s how it’s always been and it’s part of living here!” (I realize not having air conditioning definitely isn’t suffering by any stretch of the imagination, but over-exaggeration in heat waves is totally allowed). As soon as I said it, I too realized how ridiculous that sounded. Obviously, I grew up without the luxury of AC and every summer had to spend at least a few days hiding in the slightly cooler basement and a few sleepless nights wishing for any breath of a breeze to least provide some air flow. So while it’s true I used to have to “suffer” a bit in the heat in the past, how much impact should this actually have on my circumstances right now? None.
Suffering in the past doesn’t mean we need to repeat the same in the future, and if we have the opportunity to not - we best take it! This principle can be applied to so many areas of our lives as we often set limiting beliefs for ourselves based only on past experiences. We don’t even realize we’re doing it sometimes, but we very often subconsciously default to“because that’s how it is” or “that’s how it’s always been”. But the truth is, just because “that’s how it’s always been“ actually has approximately zero bearing on how it can be today. Whether it’s believing our career potential is limited - that we have to work long hours at a job we might not like to make just barely enough to scrape by, believing that we should settle for unhappy relationships, or that we are destined to continue living in the same circumstances we’re in, we are capping our potential and missing out on new ways of seeing things. By realizing the opportunities in front of us, that things can, in fact, change (if we allow them to), and that the past has no place in the future, we can unlock boundless abundance and possibilities. You’ve worked hard to get to where you are, so that you can enjoy a different future if you let yourself. You don’t need to believe that you are always going to be in pain because that’s how it’s always been. Or that you’ll never be able to do ____ because that’s “just how your body is”.
The tricky part is that it’s often so ingrained and subconscious we don’t even realize we’re doing it! You’ve gotta watch yourself closely and call yourself out when you realize you’re falling into these traps of limiting beliefs. Then drop it like it’s hot and embrace the new circumstances that you’ve built for yourself! You’ll also begin attracting and enjoying more new opportunities. So no matter what area of your life is being limited, stop believing the past will define the future. Oh, and of course don’t forget, if it’s getting too hot in the house, and you have air-conditioning - turn that sucker on and crank it!!